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Origo.hu writes that, according to the plans, the demolition works of the Puskás Ferenc Stadium that already started will last for 8 months. The construction of the new arena can start this December and it will be finished in 2019.

According to the National Sport Centres, they are currently changing the public utilities and doing value saving works, while the demolition of the big ferro-concrete skeleton will probably start in the second part of March.

There is 50 thousand cubic metre concrete and ferro-concrete waiting to be demolished in the stadium. You could fill up 13 swimming pools with this amount of concrete. Moreover, they will move around 170 thousand cubic metre soil during the construction. Out of this, 40 thousand cubic metres will be restored during the construction, 60 thousand cubic metres will be recycled somewhere else and 70 thousand cubic metres will be transferred to a dumpsite.

Legendary moments

The announcement reminds us that the condition of the stadium, which was inaugurated in 1953, significantly worsened in the past decades. The six decades of the stadium contained many unforgettable moments. One of these moments was the legendary win of long-distance runner József Kovács, “Bütyök”, in 1953, over the later Olympic Champion Vladimir Kuc. In the next year, he was the first to defeat the Czechoslovakian long-distance runner Emil Zatopeke at 10 thousand metres, in the world.

This is where the Hungarian Golden Team defeated the English by 7-1 in 1954, on the rematch of the legendary 6-3. They also held European Athletics Championships, European Basketball Championships and women’s football matches in the stadium.

63-70 thousand sitting and standing space

The demolition is in process and the National Sport Centres emphasized that the old stadium – similarly to Groupama Arena – will live on in the new building as a significant part of the scraps will be recycled and rebuilt into the new stadium. The new arena will be up to the most modern sport institutions of the world, the tower building will be elemental in the renewed building, but the once typical masts will also be present in an updated form.

The closeness of the grandstand will guarantee the real football feeling and the steep, roofed auditorium, with a much better view, will improve the cheering experience.

According to origo.hu, the future home of the Hungarian national football team will be able to fit 63 thousand people on a football match and 70 thousand people on a concert. In addition, it will also function as a conference centre and a multifunctional event centre.

Louis Armstrong, Queen, Pope John Paul II

There weren’t only sport events in the old stadium: performers like the Soviet Moiseyev, Louis Armstrong, Queen, Rolling Stones, U2, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner and Placido Domingo, and the Hungarian Omega, Illés and Hungária honoured the stage. This was also the place where Pope John Paul II met with the Hungarian youth in 1991, at the time of his first visit to Hungary.

National Sport Centres also added that the new building will be the home of the performances of the greatest stars at a world standard. The stadium will be finished in 2019 expectedly since, in the following year, it has to welcome the best football teams of the continent as Budapest will be one of the 13 organiser cities of the 2020 European Championships. There will be three group stage matches and one quarter final held in the new Puskás Ferenc Stadium.